2027-2028 Medical School Application Timeline and Monthly Schedule

Medical school applications open in early May, and applicants who submit within the first two weeks have a real, measurable edge under rolling admissions.

This guide covers the full timeline, key dates, and a month-by-month preparation schedule, what to accomplish and when, from your first steps through acceptance decisions.

Medical School Application Dates and Deadlines

These dates mark the earliest you can complete each part of your application, not the deadlines to wait for. Successful applicants submit as early as possible, since rolling admissions means your odds shrink the longer you wait.

Exact 2028-cycle dates weren’t confirmed by AAMC at the time of writing, since they typically publish official dates about a year in advance. Check the AAMC’s AMCAS page directly for this cycle’s confirmed dates once available.

Medical School Application Timeline (Ideal vs. Possible)

The AMCAS application typically opens the first week of May for the following year’s medical school class. You’ll have about a month to prepare before submission opens in late May or early June. To begin medical school in the fall of 2028, the application process starts in the spring of 2027.

Secondary applications arrive two to four weeks after you submit your primary. Complete them as soon as possible, even if the due date is further out. Aim for 7-14 days without sacrificing quality.

Interviews are typically scheduled in August and September and can continue into the following spring. Don’t wait for an invitation to start preparing. You should be practicing months before one ever lands in your inbox.

The 5 Steps of the Medical School Application Process

The medical school application has many moving parts. Step one is completing your MCAT, ideally in the summer before you plan to submit. From there, your primary application is due, followed by secondaries, interviews, and finally, admissions decisions.

Step 1: Take the MCAT

The MCAT is a grueling 7.5-hour test that requires many, many hours of planning, studying, practicing, and preparing. You should prepare for and take this test well before primary applications open.

If you want to go straight into medical school after college, we recommend you take the MCAT during the summer after your sophomore year. If you want to take a gap year after college, we recommend taking the MCAT during the summer between your junior and senior years.

Step 2: Primary Application

Almost all allopathic US medical schools use AMCAS as their primary application service. Applying to DO schools means using AACOMAS instead. Texas schools use TMDSAS.

AMCAS opens in early May, when you can start entering your information, but you can’t actually submit to schools until late May or early June. That gives you about a month to prepare. Since medical schools use rolling admissions and review applications in the order they arrive, submitting early improves your odds, and waiting works against you.

This is also when you’ll decide which schools to apply to and how many, a decision that matters as much as anything else in your application. We recommend that applicants apply to 25-30 schools. Our Medical School Chance Predictor gives you a data-driven read on your odds at each school, so you’re building your list off real information rather than guesswork.

Step 3: Secondary Applications

Medical schools begin reviewing applications at the end of June. If you submitted your primary that month, expect secondaries to start arriving a few weeks later.

Secondaries are a series of essays or short-answer questions asking you to make the case for why you’re a good fit for that specific program. Expect a large volume of them over the summer. 

Complete each one within 7-14 days without sacrificing quality, and start preparing answers to common secondary questions before they even arrive. The sooner you submit, the sooner interview invitations start rolling in.

Step 4: Scheduling Interviews

Once your secondaries are in, interview season begins. This is your chance to show admissions committees your personality and strengths that don’t come through on paper.

A few schools extend interview invitations as early as August, particularly to applicants who meet automatic GPA and MCAT cutoffs. Most schools don’t start until September, though the heaviest volume falls between September and January.

Interview season then runs through the winter and into spring, with some interviews scheduled as late as April. Schools will reach out with available dates, and you’ll arrange your own schedule from there.

Step 5: Acceptance and Admissions Decisions

Medical schools begin sending acceptance letters in mid-October, with early applicants sometimes hearing back by late October. You can be contacted at any point after that as decisions continue to roll in.

You’re allowed to hold multiple acceptances until the end of April, though exact procedures vary by school. Shortly after that deadline, you’ll need to commit to one program and respond to every other offer you’re holding.

The waitlist is worth understanding too. Being waitlisted after an interview isn’t the outcome you wanted, but it’s far from a dead end. Waitlist movement can occur at any point in the cycle, though it often accelerates after the April deadline, which forces other applicants to commit elsewhere and opens spots for those still waiting.

Medical School Application Timeline: Month-by-Month Schedule

Spring-Summer 2026

Keep an extracurriculars journal with dates and noted experiences.

• Read: What Premed Extracurriculars Do Medical Schools Look For?

The MCAT is ideally taken the summer between sophomore and junior year, or between junior and senior year if you’re planning a gap year.

• Read: When Should You Start Studying for the MCAT?
• Read: MCAT Study Guide, Everything You Need to Prepare
• Read: The Ultimate MCAT CARS Strategy (8 Tried and True Methods)

Fall-Winter 2026

• Review the medical school application process
  • Read: Understanding the Medical School Application Process
• Keep an extracurriculars journal with dates and noted experiences
  • Read: How Students Can Harness the Powerful Benefits of Journaling
• Build healthy habits and strong routines for the coming year
  • Read: How to Change Your Behavior and Master Your Habits
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students

January 2027

• Begin reflecting and brainstorming on your personal statement
  • Read: How to Start the Medical School Personal Statement
  • Read: Medical School Personal Statement Samples
  • Read: 25 Medical School Personal Statement Prompts to Spark Ideas
• Choose your letters of recommendation writers
  • Read: How to Choose Letters of Recommendation Writers
  • Read: How to Get Strong Letters of Recommendation
• Begin researching the medical schools you might apply to
  • Read: AMCAS vs. AACOMAS vs. TMDSAS Application Differences
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students

February 2027

• Work on your personal statement
  • Read: How to Write a Personal Statement in 11 Steps
• Solicit letters of recommendation
  • Read: Complete Letters of Recommendation Guide
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students

March 2027

• Fine-tune personal statement and seek feedback
  • Read: How to Edit Your Personal Statement
• Confirm letters of recommendation
• Compile extracurriculars for the Work and Activities section
  • Read: AMCAS Work and Activities Section Guide
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students

April 2027

• Fine-tune your personal statement and seek feedback
• Confirm letters of recommendation and follow up
• Compile and fine-tune extracurriculars for the Work and Activities section
• Decide which medical schools you’ll apply to
  • Read: How to Decide Which Medical Schools to Apply to (12 Important Factors)
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students
• Possible Casper or PREview preparation
  • Read: Casper Test Guide: Scoring, Preparation, and FAQs
  • Read: 15 Casper Test Preparation Tips (Yes, You Can Prepare!)
  • Read: What Schools Require Casper?
  • Read: Casper Test Dates
  • Read: AAMC PREview Prep Guide—Everything You Need to Know
  • Read: AAMC PREview Schools: Do You Need to Take It?
  • Read: AAMC PREview Test Dates

May 2027

• At the beginning of May, AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS open. Begin filling in your applications (you are not able to submit yet)
• Complete any optional or mini-essays
• Fine-tune your application
• Follow up on any late or missing letters of recommendation
• Make final decisions about which schools you’ll apply to
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students
• Possible Casper or PREview preparation

June 2027

• At the very end of May or early June, you can begin submitting your application. Most students will submit before the end of June. The later you apply, the lower your chances.
• Begin preparing answers for common secondary questions
  • Read: Secondary Application Guide
  • Read: Common Medical School Secondary Questions and How to Answer
  • Read: Secondary Application FAQ
• Start preparing for interview season, especially if you struggle with interview skills
  • Read: How to Improve Your Interview Confidence
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students
• Possible Casper or PREview preparation (you may have time available to take the Casper or PREview test after you submit your application and are waiting for secondaries)

July 2027

• Requests for secondary applications begin (complete secondaries within 7-14 days)
• Complete interview practice and mock interviews
  • Read: Medical School Interview Guide
  • Read: Medical School Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students

August 2027

• Medical school interview invitations begin in August (the first interview days could occur in late August, but most start in September)
• Complete interview practice and mock interviews
  • Read: An Ideal Strategy for How to Schedule Medical School Interviews
  • Read: Tips for the Day of Your Medical School Interview
  • Read: How to Improve Your Medical School Interview Body Language
• Prepare and test interview attire
  • Read: The Ideal Attire for Medical School Interviews
• Continue completing secondary applications as they come through (complete secondaries within 7-14 days)
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students

September 2027

• Continue completing medical school interviews
• Send interview thank you messages
  • Read: How to Write a Medical School Interview Thank You Email
• MCAT test dates available for junior/senior students (the last test dates of the year usually occur by early to mid-September, and then no more MCAT test dates until next January)

October 2027

• Continue completing medical school interviews and sending thank-you emails
• Send letters of interest and updates, if appropriate
  • Read: How to Write a Letter of Interest
• Optional: Send a letter of intent to your top school (you can only send this letter to one school)
  • Read: How to Write a Letter of Intent
• You may receive an acceptance as early as mid-October
• No MCAT test dates, but students may be studying for next year’s test dates

November 2027

• Continue completing medical school interviews and sending thank-you emails
• Send letters of interest and updates, if appropriate
• Optional: Send a letter of intent to your top school (you can only send this letter to one school)
• You may receive acceptance offers
• No MCAT test dates, but students may be studying for next year’s test dates

December 2027

• Continue completing medical school interviews and sending thank-you emails
• Send letters of interest and updates, if appropriate
• Optional: Send a letter of intent to your top school (you can only send this letter to one school)
• You may receive acceptance offers
• No MCAT test dates, but students may be studying for next year’s test dates

January 2028

• Continue completing medical school interviews and sending thank-you emails
• Send letters of interest and updates, if appropriate
• Optional: Send a letter of intent to your top school (you can only send this letter to one school)
• You may receive acceptance offers

February 2028

• Continue completing medical school interviews and sending thank-you emails
• Send letters of interest and updates, if appropriate
• You may receive acceptance offers
• Optional: Send a letter of intent to your top school (you can only send this letter to one school)

March 2028

• Continue completing medical school interviews and sending thank-you emails
• Send letters of interest and updates, if appropriate
• Optional: Send a letter of intent to your top school (you can only send this letter to one school)
• Offers are sent out by the middle of March (If you do not receive acceptances by this time, you may be waitlisted)
  • Read: How to Get Off Medical School Waitlists
  • Read: Medical School Waitlist FAQ

April 2028

• Send letters of interest and updates, if appropriate
• Optional: Send a letter of intent to your top school (you can only send this letter to one school)
• Applicants must formally choose a medical school by the end of April

See Your Full Premed Timeline at a Glance

This guide covers the application cycle itself, but your path to that first day of med school starts years earlier. Our Premed Timeline tool maps out what to focus on from freshman year through submission day, so you can see exactly where you stand right now and what’s still ahead.

Medical School Application Timeline FAQ

When Do Applications Open?

Medical school applications typically open during the first week of May for the following year’s medical school class. You’ll have about a month to prepare your application before submissions open at the end of May or early June. The application process begins in the spring of 2027, with medical school starting in the fall of 2028.

What’s the Latest I Can Submit My Application without Consequence?

Technically, applications close between October and December, but that’s not the same as a good time to submit. September is already too late for a primary application if you’re aiming for the best possible outcome.

Because of rolling admissions, every week you wait shrinks your odds. Acceptance between October and December isn’t impossible, but it’s unlikely, and it throws everything downstream off, as secondaries, interviews, and admissions decisions are all compressed into a shorter, more stressful window. Admissions committees notice the difference between a calm, prepared applicant and one who’s rushing to catch up.

Submit within the first two weeks of the application opening if you can. It’s one of the most effective things you can do to improve your odds.

When Should I Take the MCAT?

The ideal timing depends on your plans after college. Are you going straight into medical school, or taking a gap year first?

If you’re going straight through, take the MCAT the summer after sophomore year. If you’re planning a gap year, wait until the summer between junior and senior year instead.

When Should I Take the Casper Test or PREview Exam?

Not everyone needs to take Casper or PREview. Whether either applies to you, and when you’ll need it done, depends entirely on the specific schools you’re applying to, so check each program’s requirements directly.

You likely won’t need results until your secondaries are due, so plan backward from that. Some schools accept PREview scores as late as mid-September with results landing by mid-October, but the AAMC considers your application incomplete until participating schools actually receive your results, so don’t cut it close.

See our full Casper vs. PREview comparison guide for differences in format, cost, and which schools require each.

If My Primary Application Is Late, Should I Wait Until the Next Application Cycle?

Yes. If you haven’t submitted by the end of summer, you’re better off waiting for the next cycle rather than rushing in now. Use the extra time to strengthen your application instead.

Scrambling through secondaries, interviews, and everything else on a compressed timeline often ends in rejection. Going in prepared, even a full year later, gives you far better odds than applying late and unprepared.

Medical school is complicated and expensive enough as it is. Don’t put yourself in the position of having to reapply.

Which Application Service Do I Need to Apply Through?

The service you use depends on where you live and whether you’re pursuing an MD or a DO.

Texas runs its own system in part because state law reserves the vast majority of seats for in-state residents.

If you’re applying across more than one of these, MD and DO, or Texas and non-Texas, you’ll need to submit through each relevant service separately. Requirements differ slightly between them, so read up on those differences before you start.